UFC on ESPN 17 ‘Santos vs. Teixeira’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Sherdog’s live
UFC on ESPN 17 coverage will begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
ET. Check out the MMA
Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and
predictions below.

Round 1

Welcome to UFC on ESPN 17, also known as UFC Vegas 13. The first
fight of the night comes in the bantamweight division, as Lopez
(11-5, 0-1 UFC) welcomes Birchak (16-6, 2-2 UFC) back to the cage
in the latter’s second stint. Drawing the inaugural assignment this
evening is referee Chris Tognoni, and with a touch of gloves, we
get down to business. Birchak opens with a calf kick, and Lopez
swings his leg away to avoid the brunt of it. When “El Toro” goes
after another, Lopez counters him with an overhand right. Birchak
leaves his chin exposed with a jump knee and he gets blasted hard
with a left hook. Lopez bites down on his mouthpiece and cracks
Birchak on the chin with a bomb of a right hook, sending the
returning fighter down hard to the canvas. Lopez swarms him with
punches on the ground, before pursuing a choke attempt as Birchak
scrambles to his feet. Lopez falls off the back and works the body
in the clinch, but Birchak returns to the center of the cage to
fire off a one-two. Lopez is on him with heavy punches, and he does
some damage and pressures Birchak to the fence before taking
Birchak down. Lopez takes mount, rains down some punches, and
allows Birchak to turn over so he can give up his back. Lopez
latches on to a rear-naked choke, and Birchak fights it off but
Lopez is quick to pursue another that is far
tighter. As Birchak sits up, the choke is already under the neck
and there is no way out. Birchak thinks about going out on his
shield but inevitably taps out on his chest, and before Tognoni can
jump in, Birchak drifts off to dreamland. Lopez, who has now
finished 11 opponents across his 12 wins, is quick to embrace his
friend and former training partner when Birchak comes to, and earns
his promotional debut in impressive fashion.

The Official Result

Gustavo Lopez def. Anthony Birchak R1 2:43 via Submission
(Rear-Naked Choke)

Round 1

Shifting gears to the welterweight division, Griffin (15-8, 3-6
UFC) greets LFA prospect and newcomer Brahimaj (8-2, 0-0 UFC). The
Octagon ranger for this contest is referee Mark Smith, and there is
no touch of gloves to clock in the fight. Griffin starts off with a
few strikes, and Brahimaj blocks them and circles away. Brahimaj
takes a heavy leg kick and is not getting his offense going,
absorbing another on the inside of his lead leg. Both men flick out
jabs at the same time, and Brahimaj steps in with a left and
followed by a heavy right hand that staggers Griffin for a second.
“Pain” works through the pain of that blow and takes the center of
the cage, where he avoids a one-two that zooms past his head.
Brahimaj jabs to the body and pushes in for a potential takedown
attempt, but Griffin shoves him away. Griffin dances around the
outside with his jab, and darts out of the way when Brahimaj tries
to return fire. Griffin keeps his jab going, and Brahimaj attacks
with the heavy left-right that does not show the same success as
before. Griffin slips this combination and scores a short check
left hook, and Brahimaj commits to this same two-punch flurry
again. Both welterweights trade jabs again, but strikes are
relatively few and far between. Brahimaj hops in the air with a
knee but he is several feet away from his target, and Griffin
attempts to counter him but falls short as well. Brahimaj stings
him with a left hook, and then a long left hand as Griffin crashes
forward. Brahimaj swings with a spinning back kick and Griffin
closes the distance to push past it and pops Brahimaj on the side
of the head. The UFC newcomer gathers himself and rushes into
clinch, and the horn ends the round before either man can do
anything with it.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Brahimaj
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Brahimaj
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Brahimaj

Round 2

Both men start off the round with body kicks, and Brahimaj tries to
swing a left hand at him but comes up shy of the mark. Griffin
catches him square with a groin kick, and Brahimaj falls to the
ground and screams. The newcomer nearly vomits, but he gathers
himself in a minute or so. The action resumes, and Brahimaj comes
out firing with a looping left hand. Griffin replies with one of
his own, and Brahimaj sticks him with a leg kick. Griffin lands a
right hand, but the follow-up strike is blocked. Griffin changes it
up by targeting the body with a few sturdy punches, and he jabs as
Brahimaj advances to catch the newcomer on the way forward. Griffin
races forward and scores a right hand, but Brahimaj knocks him
backwards with his own thudding right. Both land jabs at the same
moment, and then do so again as Griffin circles on the outside.
Brahimaj commits to a left hand that sends Griffin backpedaling,
but “Pain” returns with a painful right hand that reddens the nose
up. These two welterweights are going strike-for-strike with single
shots, as Brahimaj scores one and Griffin returns fire. Griffin
lands a leg kick and jabs his way out, forcing Brahimaj to reset.
Griffin follows his jab with a right hand, and he retreats from the
counter strikes before they reach him. Griffin keeps his jab
flowing, and Griffin kicks in the body for good measure. Brahimaj
targets an overhand right a few times, and Griffin is narrowly able
to avoid the full impact of the shot. Griffin’s jab has bloodied up
the face of his opponent, and Brahimaj considers taking the fight
down but Griffin stops him in his tracks with a knee to the
sternum. Brahimaj takes a deep breath, and Griffin keeps his
distance and jabs away. Brahimaj spins and misses with another
kick, and like before, Griffin closes the distance and opts not to
grapple with his foe. Brahimaj tries to attack with a flying
strike, but Griffin stops it with a left hand in the air. The
clinch ends the second round, much like the first.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Griffin
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Griffin
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Griffin

Round 3

The two men touch gloves, and Brahimaj races out to land strikes.
Griffin jabs like before, and throws a head kick that gets blocked.
Brahimaj lands a left hand, and likely because he is off-balance
and not because the power of the strike, he falls over and climbs
up the cage. Taking the center of the cage again, Griffin flicks
out a jab and avoids the winging punches. Griffin kicks him in the
body, and when Brahimaj stings him with a pair of jabs, Griffin’s
front kick grazes the cup. The action halts, and Smith admonishes
Griffin but does not take a point. Less than a minute of recovery
is all Brahimaj needs, and the fight resumes with a leg kick from
Griffin. Brahimaj closes the distance and clips him with a right
hand to open up a cut, and the two start throwing down. Both land
heavy strikes and are wearing it, until Griffin backs away and
blocks a head kick. Griffin clips his man behind the ear, hurting
Brahimaj, but the newcomer gathers himself and allows his opponent
to clinch him up instead of looking for a finish. Griffin rips an
elbow in the clinch that clanks off the side of Brahimaj’s head,
and little does he know, there is massive damage from it.
Brahimaj’s ear has nearly detached itself from his head, and Smith
shouts for the fight to stop and calls in the doctor as soon as
humanly possible. This is the second brutal ear injury in recent
memory, as a championship bout in Taura MMA towards the end of
October concluded when Johnny Campbell’s ear practically came off.
This fight is over, and viewer discretion is
strongly advised if you have not seen this.

The Official Result

Max Griffin def. Ramiz Brahimaj R3 2:03 via TKO (Doctor
Stoppage)

Round 1

Damage is back on the menu – although judging by the last fight
result, it was already there – for this featherweight fight, as
“The Damage” Elkins (24-9, 14-8 UFC) tries to snap an unexpected
four-fight skid against Uruguay’s Garagorri (13-1, 1-1 UFC).
Holding on tight for this one is referee Chris Tognoni, although
the two men do touch gloves to begin. Both men look for distant
jabs from far out, and Garagorri is the first one to land as he
sneaks in a left hook. Elkins eats it like a sandwich and charges
in to take the fight down. “The Damage” takes no more damage as he
lifts Garagorri in the air and slams him down to the canvas. Elkins
hook in the fabled “Dagestani handcuff” as he locks down the
Uruguayan fighter with a triangle with his legs, but Garagorri
powers his legs out and his way back to his feet. Elkins is on him
like Saran wrap, grabbing Garagorri and dragging him back down.
Garagorri once more turns to a standing position, but Elkins
secures a mat return with his body lock, where he tries to pull the
legs out once more. Garagorri muscles his way back to his knee and
feet, and when Garagorri considers something, Elkins reverses the
position and slams him back down. Garagorri gains a slight amount
of distance to land a few punches, but Elkins does not even notice
them as he slams Garagorri on his back. Elkins takes mount position
and hunts for a guillotine choke. Elkins stands up and pushes his
weight into the choke, but he bails on it when Garagorri sits up to
his knees. The fighter from Uruguay attempts to stand, and grabs
the fence to get there. Elkins is relentless with another, and when
Elkins has hold of one leg, Garagorri tries to do a spin kick with
the other, but it comes up short. Elkins presses forward, knees
Garagorri in the face, and circles around to try to take
Garagorri’s back. Garagorri gains successful separation with a
minute left, and he fires off a head kick that gets blocked with
ease. Elkins loops a windmilling left hand, and it catches
Garagorri and sends him back a step. Garagorri slings another head
kick, and Elkins takes it on the chin, grabs the leg and forces
Garagorri down one more time. Elkins is in full guard, and rides
out the round with some punches and elbows.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Elkins
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Elkins
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Elkins

Round 2

Garagorri starts off the round with a left hand, and Elkins wades
forward and takes an uppercut before charging for a takedown.
Garagorri staves him off and kicks him to the body. Elkins lets
loose a right hand that nearly makes him stumble over, and sticks
Elkins with a left hand to hurt him. Elkins takes another on the
chin, and he appears dazed but still manages to land a takedown.
Garagorri tries to defend it as he falls to his back with strikes
to the side of the head, but they are landing illegally so Tognoni
warns him to find the angle. Garagorri gets off a 12-6 elbow that
lands directly on Elkins’ neck, but “The Damage” does not even
register it and neither does Tognoni. Instead, Elkins attacks the
hands and hooks Garagorri’s legs like before to keep Garagorri
grounded, all the while sporadically landing punches. When
Garagorri tries to burst out of the position, Elkins hops over to
the side, but Garagorri still manages to stand and free himself
while avoiding a knee on the break. Garagorri lands a left hand,
and follows it with another left and an uppercut. Elkins sings and
misses, and his face is showing some damage as he dives in for a
takedown. Garagorri jumps out of the way, and he allows Elkins to
clinch up with him. Elkins lands a few resounding knees to the
breadbasket the two jockey for position, but the fighter out of
Uruguay is able to shove him away and try to land strikes. Elkins
fails on a takedown, and he takes a one-two flush on the brow.
Garagorri lands a kick, and when he tries to follow it with a head
kick, he falls over. Elkins hops on him, and he falls over
Garagorri’s back and nearly gets clipped with the kind of uppercut
that knocked out Michael “Venom” Page. Elkins is hurt and he takes
a few shots while standing, but he walks through the punishment to
scoop up his foe and smash him down to the ground. Elkins lands in
half guard in the center of the cage, and gets off a few strikes on
top but also takes a few elbows on the dome. The horn ends the
round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garagorri
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Garagorri
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garagorri

Round 3

Both men start trading to start off the round, and Garagorri kicks
him in the gut. Elkins partially deflects a spinning back kick, and
when he charges forward, Garagorri clips him with a left hand to
make Elkins stumble. Garagorri targets the uppercut when Elkins
sells out for a takedown, and Elkins grits his teeth and grabs hold
of Garagorri’s ankle. Garagorri hops around on one foot, tries a
spinning kick again, and frees himself. He smashes an elbow off of
Elkins’ face, and both men trade body kicks. Garagorri nails him
with a left hand and a few more strikes as Elkins closes the
distance, and Elkins is hurt badly as he falls backwards to the
cage. “The Damage” weathers some damage and shakes out the cobwebs
to grab a knee, circle around and hop on Garagorri’s back like a
backpack. Elkins sets up the body lock, and he fishes for a
standing rear-naked choke. Garagorri flails and falls to his face,
breaking the grip for a moment. Elkins regathers himself and sinks
in the rear-naked choke, and a defeated and exasperated Garagorri
taps out immediately. Elkins is celebrating while the referee
pulls him off, and he may have saved his place on the roster in
classic “The Damage” fashion. The win snaps a four-fight losing
skid for Elkins with a wild performance over a once-beaten
adversary.

The Official Result

Darren Elkins def. Luiz Eduardo Garagorri R3 2:22 via Submission
(Rear-Naked Choke)

Round 1

In what should be a wild heavyweight clash, Romanov (12-0, 1-0 UFC)
tries to keep his 100 percent finish rate intact against former
middleweight Rogerio de Lima (17-6-1, 6-4 UFC). Keeping tabs on
this 518-pound rumble is referee Herb Dean, who is up to the task
as the two big men touch ‘em up. Rogerio de Lima opens up with a
thudding leg kick, and he lands a second as Romanov charges in at
him and tackles him down to the ground with a double leg takedown.
Romanov steps over to side control as Rogerio de Lima tries to grab
the fence, and Romanov is already setting up an arm-triangle choke.
“Pezao” powers out of the position and starts letting loose some
shots. The Brazilian clips Romanov with a left hand and then a
right, but Romanov closes the distance with a takedown. Rogerio de
Lima fights it off and nails the lead leg with an inside leg kick,
but the subsequent kick is nearly checked. Rogerio de Lima digs a
punch to the body, and he rips a few punches to the body and head
while Romanov bullies him against the fence. Romanov hang his hands
over the top of the fence, and when he is warned against this, he
pursues a body lock but elects to smash a knee to Rogerio de Lima’s
midsection. Rogerio de Lima defends himself with and thwarts a trip
attempt, but Romanov is pressing his full body weight into his foe
as they trade knees. They both swing and miss on strikes, and
Romanov shoots in from a distance for a single but cannot secure
it. When Rogerio de Lima stays on his feet, he leverages a knee to
the body while holding on tight from the clinch. He lands another,
and Romanov stays pressed on tight. Romanov hits a trip takedown in
the center of the cage, and he is already in side control as he
squeezes his forearm down. He lands one single elbow before Rogerio
de Lima attempts to power out, and Romanov sits up to rain down
punches. Romanov again attacks with a forearm choke, simply
pressing his full weight into his left forearm, and Rogerio de Lima
does not realize the extent of the danger he is in. Romanov keeps
the forearm pressed tightly, and Rogerio de Lima’s arms go limp as
he is unconscious with his eyes open. Dean recognizes that Rogerio
de Lima is out cold, and he rescues the snoozing fighter from
oblivion. “King Kong” is now 13-0 with 13 finishes, and this is
far from his first forearm choke.

The Official Result

Alexander Romanov def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima R1 4:48 via Technical
Submission (Forearm Choke)

Round 1

Headlining the ESPN+ preliminary portion of the card is a
middleweight collision between LFA vets as Giles (12-2, 3-2 UFC)
takes on Lewis (7-2, 1-2 UFC). The commentary booth may struggle
with the distinction of Trevin against Bevon, but referee Mark
Smith seems to have no issues differentiating the two 185-ers, who
do not touch gloves to precede the action. Lewis lets loose a leg
kick quickly, and Giles charges after him with a barrage of
punches. Giles presses him to the fence, and he drags Lewis down to
start unloading with ground-and-pound. Lewis powers his way back up
and catches a knee that flies at his face, but he cannot put his
foe on his back. Lewis lands a knee to the cup, and the action does
not halt as Smith warns them. Giles separates and starts landing a
few punches, with a quick left hook that catches Lewis unaware.
Giles locks him up on the fence as he tries to take the fight down,
but Lewis pushes off and clips Giles with a sharp combination.
Lewis backpedals, and re-engages with a quick jab. Lewis lets off a
right hand as Giles shakes out his arms, and Giles tries to swing
an uppercut out of “Mortal Kombat” to prevent Lewis from taking the
fight down or otherwise changing levels. The uppercut glances off
the chest, and Giles bullies his way back into the clinch to take
away Lewis’ reach. Lewis turns him around and starts working the
body with right hands and knees. Lewis clacks a knee off the cup,
and again there is a warning but no pause. Lewis keeps Giles
trapped on the fence until he decides to break, when he lifts up a
knee to the body. Lewis kicks the lead leg and wades in, but Giles
snaps out a jab and drops Lewis. Giles climbs into his downed
opponent’s guard to try to elbow him in the face, and he steps over
to trap the arm with his knee but the round ends before he can get
to it.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Giles
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Giles
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Giles

Round 2

Lewis starts off the round again with a leg kick, and Giles stalks
him with while measuring his lethal jab. Lewis tries to implement
his own, and when he whiffs, he comes up short on the follow-up
right hand. Giles kicks the body, and he spins out when Lewis tries
to grab the leg and counter. Giles stalks Lewis down and he pops
out a jab, and immediately after it, he stifles a Lewis takedown
attempt. Both men stomp down with landing jabs, and both land them
square. Lewis misses with a jab, but he does dig the body with a
left and a right. Lewis tries to go over the top with a head kick,
but Giles ducks it and attempts to counter. Giles sticks him with
the jab to send Lewis backpedaling to the fence, and “The Problem”
absorbs a front kick to the torso as he presses forward. Giles
continues to press Lewis back to the fence, and he slips a right
hand to land one of his own. Giles hops forward with a jab, and he
darts out of the way to avoid the counter. His head movement pays
off as Lewis lets loose several punches that all zip by his head.
When Giles comes forward, Lewis sneaks in a counter left hand to
back him off. A stomp kick from Giles makes Lewis think about a
takedown, and Giles yanks his leg free to attack with a pair of
punches. Giles fires off a right hand and an uppercut that gets
blocked, and Lewis is ready with a right hook counter. Giles stings
him with a step-in jab, but he does not throw anything after it.
Lewis charges down for a takedown, and Giles stuffs it but does not
make him pay with strikes. Both men are primarily throwing single
strikes to this point, and Lewis goes after the body with a right
hand. Giles clips his man with a right hook at the bell, and Lewis
eats it and strides back to his corner.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Giles
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Giles
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Giles

Round 3

An energized Lewis races out of his corner, and he starts throwing
punches but Giles sees him coming and slaps at him with a left
hook. When Lewis swings and misses again, Giles claps a left hand
on the side of his opponent’s head. Lewis puts together a double
jab, and Giles evades a subsequent punch with a counter right.
Lewis shoots in from afar for a takedown, and Giles staves it off
and bowls Lewis over. Lewis blasts out of the position to not get
put on his back for long, and Giles is on him with clubbing
punches. “The Problem” walks his man down and nails him with
a one-two, and Lewis is in trouble. Giles cracks him with a heavy
right hand, and then another big right to wobble the legs. One more
booming left hand sends Lewis falling face-down to the ground, and
Smith dives in to save the smashed-up fighter. Giles walks off
to shout in victory, knowing there is nothing more he needs to do
tonight but celebrate.

The Official Result

Trevin Giles def. Bevon Lewis R3 1:26 via TKO (Punches)

Round 1

Opening the ESPN main card – technically ESPNews as a college
football game is going long — is the lone women’s match of the
evening, with Gadelha (18-4, 7-4 UFC) on a path back to a title
shot against the surging Chinese contender “Fury” Yan (12-1, 1 NC;
5-0 UFC). Keeping a lid on this 115-pound tilt is referee Jason
Herzog, and the two women have no interest in touching gloves to
get to the action. Yan marches forward with punches buoyed by
kiais, and Gadelha throws right back at her. Gadelha lands a right
hand of the temple, and Yan throws back. Gadelha scores a big right
hand to make Yan bounce off the fence, and both women engage in a
wild brawl until the Brazilian takes the fight down with a body
lock. In full guard, Gadelha attempts to get off some elbows and
punches from on top, and Yan scoots her way to the fence while
avoiding the brunt of the damage. Gadelha elevates one leg to keep
Yan on her backside, and the Chinese fighter scores a few punches
to the body before powering her way back up. Gadelha squeezes her
against the cage before trying to pull her off and toss her down,
but Yan stays upright. Gadelha is unsuccessful with a trip attempt,
and she transitions to a single leg takedown as Yan knees her in
the body. “Claudinha” lifts with all her might but cannot get Yan
off the ground, as Yan continues to stay active with her back
mashed against the wall. Gadelha keeps her trapped and lifts up a
knee, and Yan stops a trip attempt while delivering a knee back.
Both women knee each other in the close clinch, and Herzog looks to
separate them but backs away when they keep the knees going. Herzog
intervenes after a period of inaction, and both women score jabs at
the same time. Yan clips Gadelha with a left hand, and when she
attacks with a body kick, Gadelha catches it and takes her down.
Gadelha drops down heavy leather while in guard, but Yan is content
to get in a brawl as she hacks at the Brazilian with elbows.
Gadelha scores one final elbow to end the round on top.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gadelha
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Gadelha
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Gadelha

Round 2

Yan comes out of her corner working the jab, and when Gadelha tries
to counter, Yan pulls back and lets fly a head kick that just
misses. Yan lands a three-punch salvo, and loads up on a right hand
that careens off the guard. Yan lands a one-two, and she avoids the
counter as she sneaks in a right hand after it. Yan lands a jab,
and both fire off right hands that connect flush. Gadelha changes
levels for a potential takedown, but Yan pulls her leg away and
gets out of harm’s way. Yan flings her leg up for a high kick, and
Gadelha blocks it. Yan scores a one-two, backs off to draw out a
counter and pops Gadelha with a right hand. Yan walks through a
body kick to land a one-two, and Gadelha appears frustrated as she
throws single strikes. Yan evades a big left hook and slides in to
land a pair of punches. Both score left hands, and Yan backs away
to keep her jab going. Yan follows the jab with a few punches, and
she irritates Gadelha enough to try to counter, but the Brazilian
hits nothing but air. Gadelha stings Yan with a right hand, but the
Chinese fighter appears no worse for wear as she gathers herself
and puts the jab out again. Gadelha walks through a few punches to
ring a left hand off the jaw of her foe, and Yan wears it well. Yan
responds with a right hand, and Gadelha’s nose has been busted up
and is leaking. Yan scores a jab and darts away when Gadelha
considers a takedown, only to jab Gadelha from a distance. Yan
continues to time Gadelha’s counters with quicker shots, and she
slings a spinning back first that gets blocked. When Gadelha
defends it, she lets loose a right hand that grazes her target. The
Brazilian grabs hold of Yan and goes after a body lock takedown,
but the round ends while the two are clinched up.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yan
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Yan
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yan

Round 3

Although Gadelha is the one advancing at the start of the round,
Yan is swinging hard. Gadelha drops down to grab a leg, and Yan
backs away to land a few punches. Gadelha re-commits to a takedown,
pressing Yan to the fence. Yan defends herself while squeezed to
the fence with knees to the body, but Gadelha keeps her otherwise
stuck against her back. Gadelha looks to set up a throw, but Yan
stops it and pushes off. Yan scores a few punches from a distance,
and she is light on her feet loosing kiais with every strike. Yan
flicks out a jab a few times, and her follow-up right hands are
making up the face of her opponent. In a possible flow state while
Gadelha appears to be plodding towards her, Yan cracks Gadelha with
an elbow and backs away to deliver a crisp combination on the nose.
Gadelha has had enough of these strikes, and she bull-rushes her
way into the clinch to hunt for a takedown. Yan keeps her balance
and eventually turns Gadelha to the fence, where she begins to land
knees and short elbows. Gadelha fails on another takedown attempt,
and Yan tries to frame her off by pushing on her face. Gadelha is
latched on like a proverbial Alabama tick, and she will not give
Yan any space but is not getting off any offense of her own besides
control time. Herzog sees that is not enough, and he separates the
two with about 45 seconds left in the match. Yan lands a stiff
right hand that backs away Gadelha, but the former title challenger
bites down on her mouthpiece to wing looping punches. Yan is well
out of the way, and lands one, two, three punches for every one
that Gadelha even attempts. Yan strings together barrages of
punches, all while continuously dodging what Gadelha has to offer.
Yan keeps this up until the end of the fight, and we have reached
the scorecards for the first time of the night.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yan (29-28 Yan)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Yan (29-28 Yan)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yan (29-28 Yan)

The Official Result

Xiaonan Yan def. Claudia Gadelha via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

Suddenly finding itself on the main card after an unexpected
COVID-19-related shakeup is a featherweight bout, as Chikadze
(11-2, 4-0 UFC) looks to stay unbeaten inside the Octagon against
late-notice replacement and excellently nicknamed “The Afro
Samurai” Krause-Simmons (7-2, 0-0 UFC) – not to be confused with
UFC welterweight James Krause. Chikadze greets his massive underdog
opponent with an attempted flying knee, and referee Herb Dean is
ready to take control if need be. Krause-Simmons circles on the
outside to try to jab, and it is Chikadze that lands one first
before winging a head kick just past his opponent’s bouncing hair.
Krause-Simmons ties Chikadze up and tries to take the fight down,
but the Georgia fights his way free and swipes at his man with a
left hand. Both men stare at one another for a protracted period,
before Chikadze launches a head kick that whiffs and a body kick
that does not. Chikadze keeps his hands low as he feints and fakes
his way in, and pops Krause-Simmons with a left hand, forcing
Krause-Simmons to rush in for a clinch. Krause-Simmons nearly hits
a body lock takedown, but Chikadze is too tall to take off balance
for the five-foot-six newcomer. Krause-Simmons almost gets a trip
off, but Chikadze stays on his knees, pops back up and fights his
way free. Krause-Simmons punches his way in with a right hand, and
a knee that follows comes up short. Chikadze pounds his opponent in
the liver with his patented “Giga kick”, and immediately slings a
head kick that cracks “The Afro Samurai” and sends him crashing to
the canvas. Dean is already racing in to stop the fight, but
Chikadze unloads some heavy punches from on high until Dean can
intervene. This was an important performance for the Georgian, who
had won his first four UFC bouts by decision leading up to this
short-notice clash.